


Sheep

by ivarara



Series: Hawk n Hum [20]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Leafwing (OC) - Freeform, Lorelyn (OC) - Freeform, sheep!! sheep!!! sheeep!!!!!!!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:53:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21609367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivarara/pseuds/ivarara
Summary: When Hum finds what turns out to be a mosscreep egg, Hawk has to deal with it.
Series: Hawk n Hum [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1388653
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Sheep

**Author's Note:**

> SHEEP  
> RP DISCORD FRIEND CAME UP WITH THE IDEA TO GIVE HUM A LITTLE PET MOSSCREEP AND?? I TRIED DRAWING IT AND IT LOOKED LIKE A SHEEP AND THAT'S WHERE THE NAME CAME FROM

At first, it hadn’t seemed like something all that notable to Hawk.

Hum held it aloft proudly. A stone, oval-shaped and speckled. Heavy, unbreakable, but colorful.

Hawk didn’t think much of it.

⁂

When the ‘rock’ began to wriggle after Hum’s near-death experience in the Void Sea, Hawk began to think something of it.

Hum carries the thing with them everywhere. They considered drawing eyes on it. Hawk drew the line there.

Was it Hum’s new affliction that changed it? The sudden power thrumming through the tiny sibling of theirs, affecting physical things around them?

Hawk decided to believe so.

Still, they are wary.

⁂

“It’s a mosscreep egg!”

Hawk staggers.

Hum’s eyes widen exponentially.

Leafwing and Lorelyn share a look.

“Yes!” Leafwing trills. “I saw many of these working in the Queen’s Gardens and in Greenpath. Many of them have gone dormant after the Infection began its rampage.” She pauses, thinking. “Perhaps your newfound abilities caused it to reawaken?”

Hum jumps excitedly and claps.

Lorelyn pats their head gently, picking up the ‘egg’ and peering at it curiously. “It’s possible. We still have no idea what happened with them; there could be even more they can do with the Soul.”

Hum nods knowingly, reaching up for the trinket. Lorelyn passes it to them carefully. Hum wraps it in their cloak, keeping it warm.

“Regardless, it’s amazing that you found one, intact and unharmed!” Leafwing continues. “Mosscreeps are just darling little creatures. They purr and chirp and are curious about everything...I used to have a herd that would follow me around when I worked in the Gardens. They’d recognize me as a friend.”

Hum titters on their feet excitedly.

“So…” Lorelyn starts, throwing Hawk a mischievous grin. “Do you plan on keeping it?”

Hawk hadn’t even begun the motion to shake their head ‘no’ before Hum scrabbles over to them to beg.

 _‘Keep, please?’_ Their eyes are wide and pleading. _‘Keep baby?’_

 _‘Why?’_ Hawk huffs silently _. ‘Just another setback_.’

 _‘Cute!’_ Hum reasons. 

“C’mon, Hawk,” Lorelyn stoops over to pick Hum up, holding them at eye-level. “How could you say no to that face?”

Hum’s eyes glitter.

“If worse comes to worse, we could raise it here,” Leafwing tries to reason.

“Hum found it, I think they should raise it,” Lorelyn responds. “Hawk, get over being stoic and serious long enough to appreciate how cute Hum and a mosscreep baby would be together.”

Hawk glowers at her.

Hum pleads again. _‘Please?’_

Hawk deflates. _‘Fine. But it’s yours, not mine.’_

Hum leaps into action, bouncing and squirming and looking to Lorelyn and Leafwing excitedly.

“No taking it back,” Lorelyn scolds. “I’ll personally beat you back into the right state of mind if you try to deny the little thing solace.”

Hawk glares at her. _Haven’t you done enough already?_

Leafwing giggles at the three of them. “Well, while Lorelyn and Hawk… ‘debate’, why don’t I give you some tips for raising your friend, Hum?”

⁂

When the egg hatches, Hum is there _. Of course_ Hum is there.

A tiny fracture appears in the shell, to which Hum frets. Had they broken it? Was it hurt?

Hawk brushes them off. _‘It’s fine. Probably hatching.’_

That sets Hum into motion. They carefully sit down with their legs crossed, placing the wiggling egg in their warm lap. They wrap their pale purple cloak around it and stare down patiently. 

The little larvling that emerges looks nothing like a mosscreep. There’s no leaves or fuzz on its back, its eyes are closed, and antenna are exposed to the air. Hum still dotes over it.

 _‘Baby!’_ Hum pesters Hawk. _‘Baby! Baby!’_

 _‘Yes,’_ Hawk tries to brush them off. But interest gets the best of them, and they sneak a glance.

Hum has a tiny hand extended to the mosscreep larvling. The newly-hatched creature lifts its head to sniff the hand, then rubs against it with a content purr. Hum’s eyes go wide, positively radiating excitement and love. 

Hawk softens. They feel that same amount of love when they see their little sibling being happy about something. Seeing Hum finally be happy and carefree after the event in the Void Sea warmed their heart.

They could deal with a little tagalong, if it makes Hum this happy.

⁂

After a few days of doting on the little larvling, it found itself covering.

One second, it had scuttled off with Hum following. The next, Hawk’s cloak was being furiously tugged on.

When they look irritably over their shoulder, they see what Hum was so excited about.

The little larvling had covered itself in a lush pelt of leaves, gathered from a nearby bush. The little thing ambled about curiously, squiggling over to Hum, who pats the leaves gently. The larvling chirrs happily, eyes squinting shut.

Hawk rolls their eyes. While Hum is extra doting on the creature, it gives them something to do that isn’t running off, or finding something to bring back, or finding someone new to deal with.

So, Hawk tolerates it.

They absolutely do not feel a springling of joy when the tiny, bushy critter crawls between their legs while on a path.

They do not feel their heart warm when Hum kneels to gently touch their mask to the mosscreep’s face in lieu of a kiss.

No. Hawk is a hardened warrior, a protector, and they have no space for those types of feelings.

⁂

“Sheep” is the name Hum chooses for the mosscreep.

One bug who’d been to the surface was the source of the name. _“Little thing looks like a sheep, it does. Cute little critter.”_

And Hum had latched on to the name.

One day was spent devoted to teaching Sheep its name. Hum figured out a sign for it, two quick pats of the hand on any surface followed by a pause. Fortunately, Sheep is a quick learner, and picks up quickly. 

_‘Sheep, Sheep!_ ’ Hum signs.

Sheep comes to them, rubbing against their short legs and purring.

Hum skitters to the other side of the path. _‘Sheep!’_

Sheep follows.

Hum looks to Hawk with pure, unbridled joy on their face.

Hawk did not soften. No they did not. They did not feel their heart falter in its beating when Hum leans down and Sheep meets them in a little head bump. They did not feel love welling up inside them for Hum, who is caring and passionate and loving, the very things they’d been considered “impure” for.

Well. Maybe Hawk did, a _little_.


End file.
